1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the communication between dentists, dental auxiliaries, and laboratory technicians of specific idiosyncrasies in tooth appearance to be replicated in the fabrication of porcelain or ceramic restorations.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional methods of assigning features or characterizations in tooth appearance for the purpose of accurate and consistent communication of the appearances from a dentist or dental auxiliary to a laboratory require a significant input of information for a life-like output in a final restoration of a patient's tooth. The dentist who provides greater detail in the nature and intensity of desired tooth characteristics is much more likely to have a positive result than the dentist who provides a less specific description. Likewise, the laboratory technician who is able to reference more detailed information has a much higher potential to achieve a positive result than one who is provided limited information. While traditional methods may sometimes be successful, there are many variables that can complicate the process, resulting in inadequate or misinterpreted communication, which in turn lead to greater time demands for treatment.
Features relevant to tooth appearance can be communicated from the dental office to the dental ceramist through several different means. For instance, the dentist or dental auxiliary may create a diagrammatic illustration depicting various specific features of tooth appearance including narratives. Tooth appearance may be communicated to the dental ceramist using photographic technology, such as a 35 mm color print or a digital photo image transmitted electronically. Alternatively, the ceramist may examine the patient directly while simultaneously creating his or her own schematic or recording tooth appearance using photographic technology for later reference. Prescribing particular features and fabricating restorations to fulfill these requirements is performed on an individual basis requiring one or a combination of the aforementioned methods of communication for each patient.
While current techniques may allow for successful replication of particular features relevant to tooth appearance, significant limitations exist leading to increased time and equipment costs, as well as error that is introduced through the subjectivity of interpretation and multiple steps in communicating the desired results. For instance, the ability to adequately identify and describe features of tooth appearance varies among dentists and dental auxiliaries depending upon motivation, experience, and skills. When using photography, multiple variables are introduced that may compromise dependability, for example, method of display, exposure, subject framing, film processing, and loss of feature contrast or detail due to flash illumination coupled with the fact that certain features are difficult to consistently capture photographically. The use of photography also requires additional expenses in equipment, film, and film processing. The use of photographs, diagrams, and narratives provided to the ceramist are subjectively interpreted and susceptible to error when changing contexts from one case to the next.
Presently there is no industry standardization in the categorization and encoding of features in tooth appearance that allow for accurate descriptions of the degree or intensity of features in tooth appearance. Esthetic dentistry, by its very nature, is a very visual endeavor wherein all parties are trying to translate a visual impression of what they see and what they would like to see in a completed dental restoration into words. There is a need for a process of accurately matching a restoration to natural definition that is less difficult, time consuming, and expensive than traditional methods when considering varying degrees in motivation and abilities of a dentist and a laboratory technician. An improved process would reduce or eliminate the inability to achieve an acceptable and anticipated result and the subsequent need to re-make restorations. An improved process would also reduce patient frustration and treatment time, as well as uncompensated costs to the dentist and technician in time, effort, and materials.